★★★★☆
As one enters any dimly lit theatre for a contemporary dance performance, there is a sense of intrigue and anticipation. At Stephanie Lake Company’s VISTA, it is sustained throughout its distinct two-act production.
While Night Feast colours the Brisbane Powerhouse’s forecourt outside, the audience inside remains on the edge of their seats. They move through two opposing worlds and shifting perspectives designed to challenge, engage, and immerse.
VISTA is a new work for Stephanie Lake Company and is touring nationally, following a world premiere at Melbourne’s Malthouse Theatre where it received critical and audience acclaim. Embodying Lake’s signature physicality and precision, it’s easy to see why.
In the opening world – a monochromatic first act – six dancers alternate between crisp motifs, fluid sequences, and almost mechanical movements. Amidst striking lighting and a pulsing soundscape of music, beats, and naturalistic sound, the dancers move between solo and group work.
It’s not easy to interpret or find a narrative thread, but I don’t think you’re supposed to; at least, not at this stage.
In the program notes, Lake says that at its heart, VISTA wrestles with the slipperiness of perception: how one moment, one conversation, one event, can fracture into different readings depending on who is watching, and from where.
From a front-row seat on the same level as the dancers, and, at times, less than a metre from them, the experience is immersive. Every expression, breath, and movement is inescapably clear.
Act Two begins with a stark difference: the addition of colour. A burnt sunset palette paints the dancers and set design, evoking a sense of warmth.
As the second act unfolds, perception and understanding do too. Sequences from the first act are mirrored, refracted, and expanded. Where once there was silence, suddenly there is rich sound, not just from the soundscape but from the dancers themselves.
Laughter, murmurs, and conversation mix with the physical sound of the dancers together, adding layers to the performance and inspiring reactions from the crowd.
One sequence makes this shifting perspective particularly powerful. In Act One, five dancers rush towards a solitary dancer at the back of the stage, who recoils at their approach.
When the sequence returns in Act Two, the formation is reversed. From the front row, the dancers now charge towards us as much as towards their target, accompanied by the sounds of a schoolyard. It’s flinchingly compelling. It is the second act that offers more release, energy, joy; more vibrant life.
A celebrated Canadian-born, Melbourne-based choreographer, Lake is renowned for her distinct choreographic style and striking visuals. ALPHA60’s costuming, Bosco Shaw’s evocative lighting, and Robin Fox’s pulsing score are integral to VISTA’s shape-shifting worlds.
Technique and talented dancers, I expected. What I didn’t anticipate was the spectrum of emotions across two acts. Nor did I expect the motifs, movements, and sounds to spin around my head beyond the night and into the weekend.
Stephanie Lake Company’s VISTA asks us to look once, look again, and wonder: are things as they seem, or should we change our perspective? I look forward to seeing what the company does next.
VISTA is presented by Stephanie Lake Company and ran to 22 August at the Brisbane Powerhouse as part of a national tour. The Brisbane season has now ended.
For more dates and cities, visit the website.
Website: https://www.stephanielake.com.au/vista
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/stephanielakecompany/ and https://www.instagram.com/bris_powerhouse/
Hero image: photo by Daniel Boud.
